Holiday Baking

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by honeychile

Yes, but this year's disappointed me. I look for one new recipe a year, and haven't found one yet. Of course, I'm dealing with a family full of allergies.

Have you tried Martha Stewart's website? My roommie makes cookies from there every year. Also, Topsecretrecipes.com has a cookie recipe now, they're recreations of commercial recipes.

[SapphireSphinx9]

foodnetwork's cookies this year are poop!

i like realistic recipes... that are semi easy.

so i've decided to make the following this week:
gingerbread houses & men
cinnamon sugar cookies
cinnamon swirl bars
and those gooey cookies i mentioned earlier - in strawberry (with reg. cool whip) and chocolate (with chocolate cool whip)


donno if i'll do more next week - prolly will since the bf will be outta town.

[ufdale]

Ugh I've been conned by the bf to make him a pumpkin pie a week since thanksgiving. Downside: I HATE PUMPKIN! especially the smell... The upside is that its super easy to make.

hehe the holiday thing I love the most is pecan pie! Does anyone else get this on Christmas? It sounds a little thanksgiving like, but I just LOVE pecan pie. I get a little upset after the holidays that noone makes those pies, but keylime pies tide me over.

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by ufdale

Ugh I've been conned by the bf to make him a pumpkin pie a week since thanksgiving. Downside: I HATE PUMPKIN! especially the smell... The upside is that its super easy to make.

hehe the holiday thing I love the most is pecan pie! Does anyone else get this on Christmas? It sounds a little thanksgiving like, but I just LOVE pecan pie. I get a little upset after the holidays that noone makes those pies, but keylime pies tide me over.

We need to eat pie together. I heart both keylime and pecan pies so much! And I don't like pumpkin. Though I did discover that I love pumpkin ice cream which is weird.

[ufdale]

hehe they made keylime Florida's pie!

The smell of pumpkin in the can is truly revolting. Yuck!

[honeychile]

FYI, breeders suggest that dog owners give the constipated doggie pumpkin, and I actually have a recipe for pumpkin dog biscuits. That's one of the reasons it's a good ending to a big meal!

I may try those gooey cookies. I'm into quick & easy cooking!

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by honeychile

FYI, breeders suggest that dog owners give the constipated doggie pumpkin, and I actually have a recipe for pumpkin dog biscuits. That's one of the reasons it's a good ending to a big meal!

I may try those gooey cookies. I'm into quick & easy cooking!

Oh god they came out so well! When I get a dog I will hit you up for that recipe too.

[SapphireSphinx9]

i made the strawberry gooey cookies last night for a potluck i was invited to today by the narcautics k-9 unit down the hallway from my office - should be pretty interesting... i already had two, but hey, that's a good breakfast! LOL


here's some additional information for the recipe...
*make sure the cool whip is at room tempature (i believe someone's already mentioned that)
*don't make the balls quiet so big - they're pretty rich in sweetness and flavor, so small doses are prolly best.
*roll the balls AFTER you've dropped them in the powdered sugar - otherwise, your hands will end up a big sticky mess


and enjoy!

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by SapphireSphinx9

i made the strawberry gooey cookies last night for a potluck i was invited to today by the narcautics k-9 unit down the hallway from my office - should be pretty interesting... i already had two, but hey, that's a good breakfast! LOL


here's some additional information for the recipe...
*make sure the cool whip is at room tempature (i believe someone's already mentioned that)
*don't make the balls quiet so big - they're pretty rich in sweetness and flavor, so small doses are prolly best.
*roll the balls AFTER you've dropped them in the powdered sugar - otherwise, your hands will end up a big sticky mess


and enjoy!

Yeah I found out some of this stuff the hard way :P Also, my tip is a little oil added to the mixture makes the cool whip less sticky to work with. And yes, drop the dough (a small amount!) into the sugar and then roll it around.
And too big is bad, mainly for cooking space-on the other hand, the boys ate all the strawberrry ones first and there are still plenty of chocolate ones left. Go figure

[Drolefille]

As I learned on Top Chef, the key to "breading" (in this case rolling those balls in sugar) is to keep one hand dry! We'll see if I can manage that. I'm cooking this weekend as therapy.

I want the recipe for those vodka chocolate cherries....yummy!


My baking is intense because i do a lot of gift baskets for gifts and freeze a lot for the rest of the yr to munch on as well as the holiday assortment we have for christmas.

my usual yrly holiday baking consist of:
Egg nog bread
bannana nut bread
Zuccini bread
Sweat potato muffins ( Handed d own recipes from grandmas's)
a put together kit of a gingerbread house
sugar cookies ( shaped and colored and regular round)
peanut butter cookies ( with hearshy kisses and without)
Russian Tea Cake cookies ( mom's hand down recipe)
snickerdoodles
M&M cookies
Tollhouse cookies
raisin oatmeal cookies
fudge
divinity ( still trying to find my way on that one...mother in law does it the best!)
double choclate chip brownies 9 with and without walnuts)

[EtaPhiZTA]

This thread has had me so excited about trying some new recipes for Christmas cookies that I mentioned it to my husband. Today he surprised me by buying me the Professional Kitchen Aid Mixer that I have had my eye on I guess he figures he will reap the rewards from this gift!

[AOIIalum]

Enjoy! I have a regular kitchen-aid and LOVE it. It makes baking so much easier, especially if you're into sticky cookie doughs or heavier bread doughs!

[AchtungBaby80]

I had these big grandiose plans to make gingerbread men, but unfortunately, I a) ran kinda short on time, and b) got lazy, so I made the super-easy cake mix gooey things you all were raving about. I think they came out OK! The first batch I kind of overcooked, but the rest of them look nice...I haven't tried one yet as they're for a party tomorrow night, but I let Boyfriend sample both flavors (strawberry and devil's food) and he really seemed to enjoy them. Thanks to whoever posted that recipe!

[honeychile]

Southern Living has put out their list of the 75 Top-Rated Cookie Recipes online. I think that anyone can log in, but if you'd like a recipe from the following list, I'll get it for you. I haven't tried them all (Hah! Would that I could!), but I've yet to go wrong with one of their recipes (well, the ones I thought would work in our family).

75 Top-Rated Cookie Recipes

No-Bake Granola Bars
Amaretti Cookies (awesome!)
Amaretto-Walnut Brownies
Angel Cookies
Broadway Brownie Bars
Browned Butter-Pecan Shortbread
Butter Cookies
Cake Mix Cookies (this sounds like the "gooey cookie" recipe!)
Candy Bar Brownies
Candy Shop Pizza Cookies
Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Chewy Red, White, and Blue Cookies
Chewy Scotch Bars
Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Cookies
Chocolate Crumble Bars
Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Snack Bars
Chocolate Wedding Cookies
Chocolate-Almond Cookies
Chocolate-Chip Supreme Cookies
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Peppermint Cookies
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies
Chocolate-Dipped Orange Cookies
Chocolate-Glazed Brownies
Chocolate-Marshmallow Brownies
Chocolate-Oatmeal Chunk Cookies
Chunky Chocolate Brownies
Citrus Bars
Clear-The-Cupboard Cookies
Coconut-Macadamia Cookies
Cranberry-Caramel Bars
Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies
Cream Cheese Cookies
Crunchy Lace Cookies
Date Pinwheel Cookies
Domino Cookies
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Double-Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Double-Chocolate Brownies
Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Giant Oatmeal-Spice Cookies
Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies
GrandLady's Cinnamon Cookies
Granny's Christmas Cookies
Heavenly Chocolate-Chip Meringue Cookies
Key Lime Bars with Macadamia Crust
Layered Brownies
Lemon Butter Cookies
Lemon Icebox Cookies
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Lemon-Poppy Seed Cookies
Linzer Cookies
Luscious Lemon Bars
Magic Cookie Bars
Magnolia Cream Cheese Brownies
Millionaire Shortbread
Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread
Nutty Oatmeal-Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter-Kiss Cookies
Peanut Butter-Toffee Turtle Cookies
Pecan Pie Cookies
Quick Peanut Butter Cookies
Raisin-Oatmeal Cookies
Raspberry Shortbread
Santa's Shortbread Cookies
Spicy Zucchini Cookies
Spritz Cookies
Sugar Cookies-1
Sugar Cookies-2
Swedish Holiday Cookies
Turkey Cookies
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla Meringue Cookies
White Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookies
White Chocolate-Orange Dream Cookies
Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies
Cinnamon Chip Icebox Cookies
Mississippi Mud Dessert Brownies
Shortbread Cookies

ETA: As a bonus, here's their Red Velvet Cheesecake Recipe, for a special dessert:

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Prep: 20 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 25 min.; Stand: 1 hr.; Chill: 8 hrs.

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

-Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
-Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.
-Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.
-Beat 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Remove sides of springform pan. Garnish, if desired.